Summer Memories & Cupcakes

When I think of summer desserts, my mind is always drawn to a cake my family used to purchase every summer growing up in New Hampshire. So simple but so addicting–just layers of white cake with fresh whipped cream and berries. Every year I looked forward to enjoying that cake and every year I ate my body weight in it. 😉

Since I am no longer living in New Hampshire, I could not have this specific treat but I wanted to recreate something that would satisfy the craving. Luckily, Giada de Laurentiis’s recipe forRaspberry Cream Cupcakesdid all of the work for me. And it may have been the easiest dessert I have ever made. You get to cheat by using boxed cake mix with some little extras like vanilla and almond (!!) extract. Then you whip some fresh cream and fold in some smashed fresh raspberries. So simple and incredibly delicious.